Falling Apart
by gym-nice-stics
Summary: Sometimes two people have to fall apart to finally come together. Set after London 2012, ignoring the events of Season 3.
1. London Calling

Disclaimer: I do not own MIOBI.

A/N: Forget all about season 3! Imagine Sasha was the national team coach and the girls trained at the Rock instead of the USATC. There will still be some of the same new characters, like Jordan Randall and Colleen Evans, but Coach Mac doesn't exist. The women's Olympic team is: Kelly Parker, Kaylie Cruz, Payson Keeler, Lauren Tanner, and Jordan Randall. The men's Olympic team is: Nicky Russo, Carter Anderson, Austin Tucker, Max Spencer, and Aaron Brook (a new character that I may or may not use).

Payson Keeler stood on top of the podium, waving at the cheering crowds and clutching her gold medal with a smile on her face. To the casual observer, it appeared as though America's sweetheart was thrilled with her latest victory, but Payson's friends knew better. Her lips were pursed together and her eyes were dull. Even her hair looked stringy, as she hadn't taken the time to properly brush it before the competition started. In the stands, Kelly Parker and Kaylie Cruz glanced at each other worriedly. Payson was clearly going through the motions and trying to leave the arena as quickly as possible. Their friend was falling apart on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, and they had no idea why.

The blonde-haired beauty certainly had a successful Olympics. She would fly home from London with a gold medal in the All-Around as well as gold in the uneven bars, floor exercise, and in the team competition, silver on beam, and bronze on the vault. The commentators couldn't stop talking about her inspiring story: a miraculous recovery from what should have been a career-ending injury that somehow led her to the top of the podium at the Olympics. MJ Martin's phone was already ringing off the hook with offers for Payson to act in television shows and movies, interview with some of the most famous reporters in the world and even meet the queen of England.

There was no reason for Payson Keeler not to be ecstatic. But she wasn't. The Olympics were hard on every athlete. Sleeping in an unfamiliar bed in a foreign country was always difficult, not to mention the extreme stress of being at the most important competition in your life. A single millisecond, one misstep or wobbly landing could define whether you went home a winner or a loser.

Payson was different, though. She always quickly adjusted to wherever they traveled to compete, and unlike some of her teammates she never wilted under pressure. Enthusiastic crowds and flashing cameras seemed to inspire Payson to leap higher, run faster and stretch farther. Today, though, Payson had seemed off her game. The uneven bars final was Payson's last shot at a third gold medal, and she had barely clinched a victory thanks to a high start value and a number of uncharacteristic mistakes by Ivanka and Genji Cho, as well as a startling fall from Jordan Randall.

Most shocking was the fact that Payson seemed completely unfazed by her lackluster performance. American commentators, trying to remain positive, had noted that Payson was probably just tired from the effort that she had to expend over the past four days to almost completely sweep the medals. Anyone who knew Payson, however, could sense that something else was wrong, but only one person could say what it was.

Sasha Belov stood just to the side of the podium, shielded by Payson's shadow, wondering how he could possibly mend the heart that he had so carelessly broken.

A/N: So this first chapter was kind of angsty but I promise it will get better! Future chapters will include a lot more dialogue; I just wanted to set the scene with some basic info in this chapter. Let me know what you think!


	2. The Beginning of the End

"Payson, did you expect a gold medal going into the uneven bars final?" a reporter asked as Payson gave the obligatory post-victory interviews. She had barely had time to pull on a pair of sweats and slip on some shoes before Marta Karolyi had excitedly dragged her into the press room.

"I knew that I had a decent chance if I hit the routine, and I feel like I did that," Payson said with a tense smile. "But I also got lucky. My competitors made some unanticipated mistakes."

"We are very proud of Payson," Marta interjected. "She led the team to a gold medal and now she has won many of her own medals."

Marta kept talking, but Payson found herself drifting towards the glowing neon EXIT sign. Before she could leave, another pushy reporter yelled out a question.

"Payson, how would you summarize your Olympic experience?"

Payson sighed. Anything too enthusiastic would sound insincere, but she couldn't tell the reporter what she really thought. To make matters worse, everyone else had stopped talking and were looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer from the new all-around gold medalist.

"It was a great experience," Payson replied lamely, grimacing at how unemotional she sounded. "I never expected to have this much success. I credit my wonderful teammates for pushing me to be my best and my parents for giving me every possible opportunity to get to this point."

The reporter smiled and opened her mouth to ask a follow-up question, probably regarding what Payson had to say about the support of her coach, but Payson pushed her way through the exit doors and jogged outside in the drizzling rain. She pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt and slipped on a pair of sunglasses that were hidden deep in the pockets of her sweatpants. If the cab driver happened to look at her closely, he would blame the water droplets running down her nose on the rain, not the tears that were slowly dripping down her face.

Marta would be mad at Payson for leaving so quickly and MJ would be furious, but Payson knew that Marta couldn't stay mad at the U.S.'s "golden girl" for long. MJ could easily issue a statement apologizing for Payson's rude exit and asserting that Payson had started to feel ill and needed to go back to her hotel to lie down. In fact, that was exactly what Payson planned to do, so MJ wouldn't have much trouble corroborating that story.

Bored sports commentators would debate about what Payson was ill with and whether or not this sickness had caused her relatively poor performance in the uneven bars finals, but none of them would guess that she was plagued with a broken heart.

A/N: The end was kind of angsty again, but soon you'll know why Payson is so upset. Expect the return of Sasha in the next chapter! I'm going to try to update every day or every other day. These first two chapters were pretty short, but they will eventually get longer. Reviews are much appreciated.


	3. At the End of the Day

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I know that realistically the girls would be staying in the Olympic Village, but it helps my story if they are staying in a hotel. Try to suspend your disbelief!

The cabbie sped through the streets of London with little regard for stop signs, traffic lights or meandering pedestrians, but Payson didn't mind. She gazed stoically out of her sunglasses, knowing that she had only been able to temporarily halt her tears and that soon she wouldn't be able to bite back her sobs any longer. Hopefully she wouldn't break down until she reached the privacy of her hotel, where Lauren Tanner would be the only one to see her cry.

Payson couldn't stop thinking about the last question she answered before storming out of the media room. How would she summarize her Olympic experience? In some ways, it had certainly been amazing, beyond all of her wildest dreams. Her almost clean sweep of the medals had started in the team finals.

_Payson tugged on the sleeves of her leo nervously, trying to ignore the cameras trained on her face. She, Kaylie, and Jordan had been chosen to compete in the team finals, and they were neck-in-neck with the Chinese team. Although China had edged out the U.S. in the prelims, the finals were certainly proving closer than anyone had anticipated. Adding to the tension was the fact that China and the U.S. were in the same rotation, starting off with floor, then beam, then vault, and finally bars. This meant that each athlete's score was directly and immediately compared to her counterpart on the opposing team, a situation that made everyone nervous. _

_Despite the inherent stress of trying to bring home a gold medal, the U.S. girls had managed to shine. Other than a bobble on beam that Kaylie barely recovered from, Marta's team had made few mistakes. Kaylie had redeemed herself with a perfectly executed Amanar that put Genji Cho's double twisting yurchenko to shame, and Payson's floor routine had elicited a standing ovation. The last routine of the day was Jordan's bars. She needed a 16.3 to lead the U.S. to victory, which was possible with her 16.7 start value, but she would need to be almost perfect. The magnitude of what she had to do seemed to finally hit her as she strapped on her grips nervously. _

_Jordan felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Payson, team captain, smiling at her. _

"_You've got this, Jo," Payson said, giving her a high five. _"_Nail that triple back dismount, just like in practice." _

_Jordan nodded and took a deep breath before walking over to the bars. She raised her hand and the routine began. _

_Payson returned to the sidelines and wasn't surprised when Sasha came up behind her and put an arm around her shoulder. _

"_She can do this," he whispered into her ear. "Jordan can hit this routine in her sleep." _

_It was true. Jordan was the team's best bar worker, with Payson coming in as a close second. There was no routine that Payson would rather depend on to bring home team gold than Jordan's bars. _

_The gymnast and her coach watched as Jordan flipped around the apparatus, hitting perfect handstands with legs that looked like they were glued together and perfectly pointed toes. Payson felt like the routine lasted forever, but it was less than a minute before Jordan was rotating through the air three times before her feet hit the mat and stayed there. She raised her arms to salute the judges, and then pumped her fist in the air, celebrating a beautiful routine. _

_Jordan ran off the mats and straight into the arms of Kaylie and Payson. The girls grasped hands tightly, waiting for Jordan's score to flash up on the large screen over the arena. The entire audience waited with bated breath until the screen read 16.6 (7.0 D / 9.6 E). It was as close to a perfect score as anyone had gotten so far in the competition and it clinched the victory for team U.S.A. _

_Raucous applause filled the stadium and Payson broke free of Kaylie and Jordan to jump into Sasha's arms. Laughing, he twirled her around before setting her back down and pulling her into a tight hug. _

"_I am so proud of you," he murmured._

_Payson was crying so hard that she couldn't respond, and she pulled Sasha closer before turning back to the other girls and gesturing for them to join in a group hug. _

If Payson were to define her Olympic experience based on that moment, she would have said that it was incredible, exhilarating and full of promise. Her high scores on all four apparatuses had led the U.S. to the gold along with Jordan's inspiring bar performance and Kaylie's solid vault, and she was widely expected to win the all-around competition two days later. She was literally on top of the world, and the smile that stretched across her face as she stood on top of the podium, arms around her teammates, was genuine.

As Payson paid the cabbie and trudged toward the door of the hotel, she couldn't help but reflect on how quickly things had changed. She had won the all-around gold and several other medals, but the only word that she would use now to describe her experience was heartbreaking.

Cameras flashed as she entered the hotel lobby, and she shielded her tear-stained face with her arm. She ran towards the elevator and jammed the "door close" button and her floor number, and then leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. When she finally shut the door to her room, she plopped down on the bed and called the one person that could understand her situation.

"Hey, Lo?" Payson asked, hating how high-pitched and crackly her voice sounded. "I caught a cab to the hotel. Could you come back now?"

On the other end of the phone, Lauren Tanner sighed. She had been planning to party with Kelly, Kaylie, and Jordan, to celebrate a successful Olympics, but she could hear that Payson needed her. Payson hadn't been the same since the night of the floor final, but she had adopted her "robo-Payson" persona and refused to tell anyone that anything was wrong. It sounded like she was finally ready to open up.

"Sure, Pay," she said quickly. "Let me just grab my bag and tell Kaylie that I'm not going to the party. I'll see you soon."

A/N: Do you like this type of longer chapter better? Leave me a review and let me know what you think!


	4. BITTERSWEET VICTORY

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who left me a lovely review! I sincerely appreciate your support and your comments, and I will do my best to send you a message or respond to your questions in a note. Several people have asked when they will find out what happened to Payson. I don't want to give away too much, but I will let you know that there are several big clues in the next two chapters.

Lauren Tanner's Olympic story was considered miraculous by many. Although most of the media attention was focused on Payson, Lauren came in as a close second for human interest stories. Four weeks ago it had been questionable whether or not she would ever be able to do gymnastics again due to a rare heart defect that seemed impossible to fix. Lauren had been ready to give up, but Payson refused to accept that her friend wouldn't be making the trip to London. Payson scoured the Internet, looking for a doctor who was skilled enough to perform the risky surgery that could potentially cure Lauren, and she convinced the doctor to take a look at Lauren's case.

Payson and Lauren had certainly bonded over this experience, partly because Lauren had adopted a new outlook on life. She still called herself the "bitch of the beam," but she had finally started considering how her actions would impact others. Lauren no longer demanded that the spotlight always shine on her, and she was honestly somewhat relieved when her doctor told her that she could only compete in one event. Although she loved the glory of being an all-arounder, she didn't know if she had the iron will like Payson to hit four perfect routines under intense pressure.

Before her surgery, Lauren never would have been able to admit to this kind of weakness. But her surgery had made her a fuller- if not a better- person, and certainly a better friend. Because of her new, less self-centered attitude, she became more attuned to her teammates' emotions. As Payson's roommate, Lauren had gotten pretty good at reading Payson's mood, and she immediately noticed when Payson suddenly became apathetic and depressed after the floor finals.

Lauren would never say anything, but she had noticed that Sasha had changed over the past few weeks, too. At first he had changed for the better.

"_Announcing your new 2012 Women's Gymnastics All-Around Gold Medalist, Payson Keeler from the United States of America!" _

_Payson stepped on top of the podium and gave Kelly, who had won the bronze medal, a hug before the gold medal was placed around her neck. She pumped her fist in the air, a new signature move for her, and beamed up at Kaylie, Lauren, and Jordan, who were clapping wildly in the stands. Austin stood up and yelled "Go Payson!" before sitting back down and putting his arm around Kaylie, who was doing an excellent job of hiding her disappointment over the fact that she hadn't qualified to the all-around finals. _

_The "Star Spangled Banner" played and Payson's eyes locked on Sasha, who was standing on the sidelines with his hand on his heart and tears in his eyes. As soon as the song ended, Payson jumped off the podium and practically leapt into Sasha's waiting arms. He swung her around as cameras flashed and clicked around them. This picture would grace the cover of several of the world's most famous sports magazines as homage to an incredible gymnast and her inspiring recovery. When Sasha finally put Payson down, his arms stayed around her shoulders and her hands firmly gripped his waist. _

_Lauren watched this interaction on the giant screen above their heads, and she became momentarily anxious when she saw the way that Payson and Sasha were looking at each other. It was almost like he was going to kiss her. Payson leaned in slightly and Lauren gasped. Before disaster could strike, Kelly barreled in between the two of them, demanding a hug from both her best friend and her favorite coach. _

_The tension-filled moment ended, and Sasha laughed as he gave Kelly a hug. Lauren sighed in relief. Sasha and Payson kissing would have been disastrous. Commentators and snarky bloggers would have questioned if Payson had won all-around gold because she had been favored by her coach, and rumors would fly about the status of Sasha and Payson's relationship. Although the judges were supposed to be unbiased, Lauren was sure that a gymnast kissing her coach would be difficult to ignore, and the judges might consciously or unconsciously give Payson lower scores in the remaining event finals because they disapproved of her complicated relationship with Sasha. _

Lauren knew that Payson and Sasha had always been close, but the dynamic between the two of them seemed to reach a new level when the team arrived in London. They sat next to each other on the plane, and Lauren, who was sitting behind them, noticed that Payson spent most of the trip sleeping with her head on Sasha's shoulder. While most of the gymnasts ate meals together, Payson usually ate early with Sasha and then retreated to the lobby of the hotel with him. Lauren often returned to find the two of them chatting and laughing quietly with their heads practically pressed together, oblivious to the curious glances of the athletes that passed by.

After Payson won the all-around, Sasha was in a much better mood with everyone. He smiled all the time, which was extremely uncharacteristic for him, and offered to take the girls out to dinner to celebrate. As they sat together around a large table at a fancy London restaurant, Sasha gave a long speech about how proud he was of each and every one of them. Although Lauren didn't doubt that Sasha appreciated the hard work and dedication of all of his gymnasts, she couldn't help but notice that his eyes were trained on Payson.

Lauren couldn't help but wonder if she was the only one who was noticing this new dynamic between Payson and Sasha, but she wouldn't dare say anything to anyone else for fear of starting a rumor. She finally had a best friend that she could depend on, teammates that loved and supported her, and a coach who was proud of her despite her flaws. She would never forgive herself if she interfered where she didn't belong and destroyed all of the progress she had made in regaining the trust of her coach and her friends.

But as the saying goes, nothing gold can stay. Lauren lost her feeling of comfort and security as quickly as she had gained it, and it was all because of a falling out between Sasha and Payson after the floor finals. The all-around champion and the coach were the glue that held the team together. When things were good between the two of them, the rest of the team fed off of their positive energy. However, when things went wrong, the team fell apart.

Kelly and Kaylie, who didn't want to deal with the tension between Payson and Sasha, started spending more and more time by themselves. Jordan, who had already been suspicious of Payson's relationship with her coach, ignored Sasha completely. Sasha wasn't doing the best job of holding the crumbling team together. He was constantly staring off into the distance, seemingly unconcerned with the fact that the girls were no longer getting along. Martha Karolyi didn't mind because the team finals were over, and MJ didn't care whether they were best friends or worst enemies as long as they put on their brightest smiles for interviews. No one but Lauren had a vested interest in keeping the team together, and despite her best efforts, she couldn't even motivate the girls to sit in the same room as Sasha for more than a few minutes.

Although Lauren was disappointed to lose the family dynamic and the unwavering support from teammates that she had always craved, she was even more concerned about Payson. Payson had been her normal, enthusiastic self when she won the gold medal on floor exercise. She hopped off the podium and ran into Sasha's arms, as usual, but after giving a few interviews she completely disappeared. When she finally returned to the hotel room at 11:30 that night, Lauren noticed that her cheeks were stained with tears. Payson mumbled something about being tired and practically fell into bed, and Lauren pretended that she couldn't hear her crying.

Ever since that night, Payson hadn't been the same. Her eyes were dull and listless, and she could barely motivate herself to get up in the morning. The girl who was usually up and stretching before the alarm went off was suddenly hitting the snooze button ten times before Lauren dragged her out of bed. Lauren watched Payson practice on the bars the next morning, and was shocked when Payson just stopped moving in the middle of the routine. She hung from the top bar before dropping to the ground, grabbing her sweats, and walking out, with her stunned teammates staring after her.

A/N: This is my longest chapter yet! Please leave me a review with comments, random thoughts, guesses, suggestions, or anything else and let me know what you think.


	5. Truth be Told

Disclaimer: I don't own Make It or Break It or any of the characters.

"Pay," Lauren said, knocking on the door of their door. "It's me. Can you let me in?"

The door clicked open to reveal a forlorn Payson. Lauren reached out to comfort her friend, but Payson shrugged her off and plopped down on her bed, burying her head in one of the pillows.

"What happened, Pay?" Lauren asked quietly.

"I'm so stupid," Payson moaned in return, her voice muffled by the pillow. "I can't believe I made the same dumb mistake twice."

"Is this about Sasha?" Lauren questioned, knowing that it was but feeling the need to ask anyway.

Payson was silent. Finally she rolled onto her side and looked at Lauren with tear-filled eyes.

"Yes," she murmured.

"Tell me what happened."

_It was the night of the floor finals, and Payson had blown everyone out of the water. She used her Swan Lake routines with a few alterations, and the crowd had literally been moved to tears by her beautiful leaps and the expression on her face. None of the other gymnasts could match Payson's artistry, and she ended up on top of the podium yet again. _

_After receiving her medal and putting on her Team U.S.A. sweats, Payson headed to the press room. She was surprised to see that Sasha was waiting there for her with an uncharacteristically goofy smile. He was famously reluctant to give interviews, so reporters jumped on the chance to question him about Payson's victory. By the time she made her way over to him, he was already in the middle of answering a question._

"_She is truly unique," he told a reporter, his voice cracking with emotion. "I have never worked with a gymnast quite like Payson Keeler. She has an unparalleled drive and determination to succeed, and she is always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. Payson has incredible talent and she is a remarkable young lady. I am so honored to be her coach." _

_Payson pulled him into a hug and she felt his lips brush the top of her head. He kept his arm around her for the rest of the interviews, and eventually they walked out of the press room hand-in-hand._

_Sasha stepped into the street to call a cab, his fingers still clasped around Payson's. A cab arrived relatively quickly, and Sasha held the door open for Payson to slide in first. _

"_Where can I take you today?" the cab driver asked, clearly thrilled to have such famous passengers. _

_Sasha looked at Payson questioningly. _

"_I don't want to go back to the hotel just yet," she said. _

"_Let's get some dinner, then," he replied, grasping her hand again. "I know the perfect restaurant." _

"So that's where you went," Lauren interrupted. "We were all worried about you, but we just assumed that you were with Sasha because we couldn't find him, either."

"I wish I hadn't gone," Payson replied, her voice hollow. "Maybe then everything wouldn't have ended up so wrong."

"What happened?"

Payson took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, readying herself to start the story again.

"Well…" she started, stopping when she heard someone knock on the door.

Lauren groaned and rolled off the bed. She peeked through the peephole and then opened the door to let Kelly and Kaylie in.

"Hey, congrats Pay," Kaylie said quietly.

Payson was now sitting up and leaning against the headboard, and Kaylie sat next to her and gave her a one-armed hug. Kaylie looked at Lauren questioningly but didn't say anything. Something was obviously wrong with Payson, but she didn't want to pressure Payson into talking about a sensitive subject too soon.

Kelly, however, had other ideas.

"So what the hell is going on here?" she asked. "Sasha's down at the hotel bar, drowning himself in whiskey, and you practically bolted out of the arena in tears. You two didn't talk at all today, and you didn't even hug him after you won. What happened between you guys?"

Payson sighed. She didn't want to tell the whole beginning of the story again, so she looked at Lauren to explain.

"Payson and Sasha went out to dinner after the floor finals," Lauren started.

Kaylie and Kelly shared a glance. The tension between those two had been palpable ever since the team arrived in London. It wasn't surprising all that surprising that they went out to dinner by themselves.

"What happened next, Pay?"

_The night had been perfect. The restaurant was wonderful and the conversation flowed easily between Sasha and Payson, as usual. _

"_What are you going to do when we get home?" Sasha asked. _

"_I'm probably going to try to apply to a few colleges," Payson responded between bites of salad. "Hopefully UC Boulder would accept me for the spring term." _

"_Of course they will. Why wouldn't they want a beautiful and brilliant gold medalist?" _

_Payson blushed and picked at her food, wondering if Sasha was flirting or just being nice. _

"_I was thinking about coaching, eventually," she said, looking up at him._

"_You know there will always be a job open for you at the Rock," he replied. _

"_I know." _

"_We would make a great team."_

_They lingered at the restaurant for hours, talking quietly, until Sasha paid the bill and they left. _

"_The hotel is only a few blocks from here," Sasha said. "We could walk back." _

_Payson nodded and Sasha slipped his coat around her shoulders, noticing that she was shivering. _

"_We can't have you getting a cold the night before you win another gold medal." _

"_I'm not so sure I'll win this one," Payson confessed. "I know it's been a long time since my fall, but I can't stop picturing it every time I'm on the bars. I don't know why, but the pressure here makes it worse. I barely made it through my routine the last few times I practiced." _

"_Oh, Pay," Sasha replied, taking her hand. They stopped walking and he cupped her chin, looking straight into her eyes. _

"_You are not going to fall, Payson Keeler" he said. "I would never let you fall." _

_Suddenly the world felt like it was spinning. Payson's heart fluttered as Sasha leaned in, his arms resting on her lower back. She closed the gap between them, her lips finally meeting his. But just like the last time, he pulled away a second after their lips touched._

"_Payson," he said. "We can't do this." _

_Payson's mouth opened in horror, but no sound came out. She couldn't believe that she had misinterpreted his actions yet again. The first time she kissed him, she had been able to blame it on hormones and the exhilarating feeling of nailing a floor routine. This time was different. She was no child, and she couldn't think of any good excuse for kissing him. _

_Sasha barely processed the fact that Payson was suddenly gone. She flagged a cab and jumped into it, slamming the door behind her. The cabbie drove off, leaving Sasha to mull over why he had let his dream girl get away._

A/N: Originally this was going to be split into two chapters, but I realized that they were kind of short so I put them together. Let me know if you think it doesn't flow right. Reviews make my day


	6. Stalk You

"Wow, what an ass," Kelly interjected.

Lauren scowled at her. Payson was obviously devastated and Kelly was being extremely insensitive.

"You're new to the group, Kel, so I'll let that slide," Lauren huffed. "But just so you know, being a bitch is kind of my job."

"No, seriously," Kelly said, shooting a glare at Lauren. "Sasha totally led you on. "

"It really sounds like this wasn't your fault, Payson," agreed Kaylie. "It seems like he was crossing a line in taking you out to dinner alone, and he definitely crossed a line by calling you beautiful."

"It kind of seems like he's been crossing lines ever since we got here," Lauren said quietly.

Kelly and Kaylie nodded. They had tried to ignore the fact that Sasha and Payson were spending so much time together with no one else there, but now all of the questionable little interactions between the two seemed startlingly relevant.

"It doesn't really matter what he did. We're both adults, so he can do whatever he wants," Payson sniffled. "All that matters is that I kissed him. I ruined everything. We had such a great friendship."

"Pay, I know that it must have been upsetting, but last time you were able to bounce back from it quickly," Kaylie said tentatively. "You didn't mope around or cry, and you certainly didn't just give up on your gymnastics."

All three girls recognized the unspoken question that Kaylie was asking. Why was it so different this time?

"I know this sounds stupid," Payson finally replied. "But I never really got over it last time. I pretended like everything was fine at the gym, but it wasn't. Sasha and I agreed to forget about the kiss for the sake of my training, and for a while everything seemed to be fine."

Payson took a deep breath and Lauren rubbed her back encouragingly.

"That pesky little crush just never went away, though," Payson continued. "As Sasha and I spent more and more time together, it grew. The first time I kissed him, I loved him for what he had done to my gymnastics. This time, I loved him for so much more than that."

The other girls finally understood. Payson was in love with Sasha, and he had broken her heart.

"It sucks being rejected, doesn't it?" Lauren asked quietly. She was the only one who could truly empathize with Payson. Kaylie, America's sweetheart, had always gotten any boy she wanted. Kelly had only loved one boy, and he had been in love with her since the day he met her. Lauren was different. She knew what it felt like to have the person you love walk away.

"Yes," Payson choked out, clutching her pillow against her chest. "And I hate him for it. I'm never going to be able to think about the Olympics without thinking about how he turned me down."

There was nothing that any of them could say to Payson that would fill the hole in her heart. She needed to have a long talk with Sasha, but it was too soon. Lauren knew that Payson wouldn't be able to even look at Sasha without bursting into tears, and the last thing they needed was a confrontation between a drunk Sasha and a weepy Payson. That could only end in disaster.

"I don't want to ruin the Olympics for you, too," Payson said, looking around at the girls. "Go out and party. Have fun. You're all medalists, and you should be celebrating, not hanging around in a hotel room watching me cry."

"We're not going to leave you alone, Pay," Kelly replied immediately. "You're our friend. Besides, who says we can't have our own party here, with just the four of us?"

Kaylie looked at Kelly appraisingly. Kelly didn't have much practice with maintaining friendships, but she always seemed to know the right thing to say.

"I'll text Austin and tell him to pick up a movie on his way back to the hotel," Kaylie said. "He was already planning on coming back soon, and I'm sure he won't mind making an extra stop for us."

Thirty minutes later, Austin knocked on the door.

"Kaylie, what's going on?" he asked quietly, pulling her outside the room so that her friends wouldn't hear them talking. "Is something wrong with Payson?"

Austin was Payson's friend, too, and he had also noticed the alarming changes in Payson's behavior.

"It's really complicated, Austin," Kaylie sighed. "But I think she's going to be fine. Kelly, Lauren, and I are going to just hang out with her for a while. She really needs her friends right now."

"Tell her I hope she is feeling better soon," Austin replied, handing Kaylie the movie and the candy.

Kaylie leaned up and kissed his cheek before joining the other girls back in the room.

"Austin brought our favorite movie!" she said, bouncing on the bed excitedly. She was trying to get a positive reaction from Payson, and it seemed to work when she saw the copy of "Stick It."

Kelly popped the movie in the DVD player, and settled down on Payson's bed to watch it. Even though there was another bed in the room, Kaylie and Kelly soon joined her and Payson. This was the last competition that they would ever attend as a team. Their experiences together were marred by fights, rivalries, and betrayal, but they all knew that they would bawl their eyes out when they had to say goodbye to each other in the fall.

Payson fell asleep halfway through the movie, and Lauren walked Kaylie and Kelly out. They stood by the door and exchanged worried glances.

"This isn't good for her," Kaylie said. "I'm worried that she won't recover from this."

"We need to have a serious talk with her tomorrow," agreed Kelly. "We can't just let her wallow. I never thought I would be saying this, but Payson is one of my best friends. I'm not just going to stand by and watch while she falls apart."

Lauren nodded.

"I'll think of something."

A/N: Yes, Payson is being a little melodramatic, but she did just have her heart broken. Next chapter you will see the return of tough Payson.

BONUS QUESTION: Who do you think that Kelly is in love with?


	7. Hangover

Sasha Belov awoke with a dry mouth and a pounding headache. He sat up slowly and groaned before falling back down on the bed. It had been years since he had gotten drunk enough to completely black out and not be able to remember what happened.

One drink in the hotel bar had quickly turned into ten when Sasha saw Kelly and Kaylie walking briskly through the lobby, pretending that they didn't see him. For a second Sasha wondered if Payson had told them what happened, but he soon realized that their conversations that day would have been much more awkward if they had known about the dinner gone wrong. They were probably hurrying to see Payson and didn't want to stop and chat with him.

As soon as the elevator doors closed behind them, Sasha called the bartender over and ordered another glass. His memory was fuzzy after that, but he had a vague recollection of someone dragging him away from the bar and up to his room. Was it Austin? Carter? He didn't know.

Sasha sighed. He was disappointed in himself for losing control, especially when any one of his athletes could have walked down to the lobby and seen him slumped over the bar. During his time at the Rock he had become a disciplined and dependable man, arriving early each morning, carefully monitoring his elites throughout the day, and returning to the Airstream for a simple dinner alone. But his self-control always seemed to go out the window whenever Payson was involved.

As Sasha worked extra hours with Payson to prepare for the Olympic Trials, their relationship transformed. Although Payson and Sasha had always been close, they had maintained the hierarchical coach-gymnast relationship. As Trials approached, however, Sasha began thinking of Payson as a partner, not just another gymnast. She got to the gym earlier than everyone else and stayed later. During the week before Trials, Payson came so early that they started eating breakfast together in his office, and sometimes she would stay for dinner and they would stay up late critiquing videotapes of her performances.

_Three nights before Payson flew out to Texas, they had fallen asleep on the couch while watching Payson's new connection in her beam routine. Sasha was jolted awake at midnight by Payson's phone ringing loudly, and he was surprised to notice that her head was on his chest and his arms were around her waist. He gently untangled himself from her and grabbed the phone from the still-sleeping Payson to calm down an irate Kim Keeler, who was calling to ask why Payson wasn't home in time to get enough sleep a few days before one of the most important competitions in her life. _

_After apologizing and explaining that they had fallen asleep watching videos of Payson's routines (he didn't explain the position they woke up in), Sasha quietly assured Kim that Payson would be home soon and carried Payson out to her car. She didn't wake up until he gently set her on the ground._

_Payson blinked sleepily. _

"_Sasha?" she asked, looking at the coach who was leaning against her car with a smile on his face. "Did I fall asleep?" _

"_We both did," he replied. "Your mother just called, demanding to know why you weren't home." _

"_What time is it?" Payson responded, looking up at the starry night sky and wondering why her mother hadn't been worried until now. _

"_Midnight" Sasha answered. _

_They stood together in silence, gazing up at the stars, until Payson reached out and grabbed Sasha's hand. _

"_Whatever happens at Trials," she began. "I just want you to know that you couldn't have done a better job as my coach. You believed in me when no one else would, and you inspired me to completely redefine myself as a gymnast. Without you, I wouldn't even have a shot at the Olympics." _

"_Pay," Sasha said, choking up. "You are an extremely talented gymnast and a wonderful young woman. It has been my absolute pleasure to coach you." _

_He grabbed her other hand and pulled her into a hug, rocking her slowly until he finally pulled away and held her car door open. _

"_You better get home," he said, cracking a smile. "Or Kim will skin me alive." _

_Payson smiled and kissed his cheek, her lips lingering on his stubble. _

"_See you tomorrow, Sasha." _

Remembering that night was physically painful for Sasha. It was the night that he realized he had fallen head over heels in love with Payson Keeler. She was determined, intelligent, talented, witty, and beautiful—everything Sasha wanted in a woman. The only problem was that she was ten years younger than him, and she was also his gymnast. Being in a relationship with her would taint her reputation and ruin his career. She would be viewed with scorn and disgust, and he would never be trusted around gymnasts again. Sasha was willing to make that sacrifice for her, but he didn't want to ask her to sully her name for him. She had so much life ahead of her, and he would only bring her down.

But somehow Sasha just couldn't stop pushing boundaries with Payson. He spent all of his free time in London with her, quietly talking about everything they could think of. Sasha hadn't known anything about Payson's childhood or even her life outside of gymnastics, and he wished that he had asked her more questions about herself earlier. She was a fascinating storyteller, with a gift for knowing how to make him laugh or tear up. He found himself becoming so at ease with her that he even began to open up about his own childhood and adolescent years, something that he was usually extremely reluctant to talk about.

Sasha knew that some of the other coaches looked upon his close relationship with Payson with disapproval, but he didn't care as long as she came off as innocent. He didn't mind if they saw him as the creepy old man who was spending too much time with his teenage gymnast if they didn't look poorly on Payson for it. The rest of the team didn't seem to find any issue with it, and no one had complained that Sasha wasn't spending enough time with the rest of his gymnasts. They seemed to understand that Payson and Sasha connected on a different level than anyone else, and they didn't have any complaints as long as he was a good coach to them when they needed him.

He had managed to hold everything together until his dinner with Payson after the floor finals. Sasha knew it was wrong to take her out to dinner by herself, to grab her hand in public and call her beautiful, but he couldn't help himself. That floor routine was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen in his life, and he found himself even more deliriously in love. Sasha Belov had his head in the clouds, and he didn't come crashing back down to reality until he felt Payson's soft lips against his.

Sasha groaned as he remembered how he had pushed her away, how he had made her feel unwanted and ashamed. There was nothing he wanted to do more than keep kissing Payson, but he wouldn't let his selfish desires ruin her reputation and her last shot at another Olympic medal. Sasha kicked himself the whole way home, partly for pushing her away but also for encouraging her to kiss him. Now she would think that it had been her fault when nothing was further from the truth.

A tentative knock on Sasha's door startled him out of his memory. He moaned as his feet hit the ground and his head started spinning, feeling completely unprepared to deal with whoever was on the other side of the door.

A/N: I love reading your reviews! Let me know what you think of the story so far, where it should go from here, and what I can improve on.


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